The annual conference for the independent publishing community was a feast of insight and ideas, says senior managing editor Helen King.
The annual PPA conference is always a great opportunity for the independent publishing community to network and share insight about the challenges and opportunities we face in our fast-evolving sector.
The 2025 conference, held on the same day as the PPA’s Independent Publisher Awards (where we were shortlisted in the cover of the year, membership publication of the year and and video content of the year categories), was no different.
Highlights from the day included hearing from Goalhanger Podcasts’ Jack Davenport (the company co-founded by Gary Lineker) about how quality of engagement can be more important to a business than mere numbers, and a roundtable about how modern platforms can help turn content into revenues.
As you would expect, AI was the big theme of the conference, and the mood in that regard was a mix of excitement and caution. ‘AI never sleeps,’ we were told at one point, but it needs careful supervision. It also requires good journalists, who bring a human touch and personality, as well as rigorous fact-checking. Use AI to take on more of the onerous aspects of our work and it will free us to be more creative.
We also heard how member retention is just as important as acquisition, how knowledge deepens trust, how depth (not breadth) can make your brand indispensable, and how print is an evergreen antidote to digital overload.
Indeed, the continued need for physical and analogue connection and experiences was a topic that recurred throughout the day. From print magazines to a desire for a return to the high street, the places where people can gain trusted and expert opinions first hand, still rank very highly with consumers.
Plenty of food for thought, then, as we look ahead to 2026.
